Lunch begins at 11:30 at the River Bend Ranch Headquarters, located east
of Limon, CO, off I-70 at Exit 354 then .75 miles west. The program will
conclude around 3:30 p.m.
Joe and Cindy Frasier, Frasier Farms—River Bend Ranch are inviting beef
producers, educators, industry representatives and others to their ranch
near Limon, CO, for a tour on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007, beginning with a
lunch at 11:30. Lunch is sponsored by Red Angus Association of America (RAAA).
During the tour, participants will get a first-hand look at how River
Bend Ranch uses a Synchronized Artificial Insemination Breeding Program
in their summer calving program. The day of the tour is the
mass-insemination day for cows on an estrous synchronization protocol
coordinated by Frank Carlson from ABS Global, Inc. This protocol also
employs short-term calf removal to enhance pregnancy rates. The Frasiers
are using Red Angus sires as part of progeny test evaluations for RAAA.
Participants will also see first-hand how the use of radio frequency
identification tags for record- keeping has been integrated with mating
choices, breeding and calving records and marketing opportunities for
Source and Age Verification through U.S Premium Beef. River Bend Ranch
moved from a traditional season of calving to summer calving nine years
ago. Joe will describe why they made this decision and the benefits he
has seen by incorporating this management practice in his herd.
The tour will also include a stop and discussion of how the River Bend
Ranch is effectively using Management Intensive Grazing to improve range
condition and productivity. Participants in the tour will observe the
pasture cell structures and their use in rotational management.
The Frasier families have been ranching in eastern Colorado since 1947
and are no strangers to the Colorado beef industry. They received the
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Regional Environmental Stewardship
Award in 2003.
The Colorado State University (CSU) Beef Team is serving as coordinators
for this tour and encourages cattlemen to plan to attend this very
educational event.
For more information, contact Mick Livingston, Kit Carson Cooperative
Extension Office in Burlington, CO, at 719/346-5571, or email
mick.livingston@colostate.edu; Jack Whittier, CSU Beef Extension
Specialist, Fort Collins, CO, at 970/491-6233, or by email jack.whittier@colostate.edu;
Roger Ellis, CSU Extension Veterinarian, Fort Collins, CO, phone
970/297-4516, email roger.ellis@colostate.edu; or Michael Fisher, Yuma
County Extension Office in Wray, CO, phone 970/332-4151, emai MJ.Fisher@ColoState.
edu.

There’s no reason the cattle-feeding industry in Texas cannot remain
strong and viable if it incorporates distillers grains into rations,
said a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researcher.
“Our concern has been, ‘Will there be enough feed?’” said Dr. Jim
MacDonald, Experiment Station beef cattle nutritionist. “Assuming all
the distillers grains are available for livestock feed, clearly there
will be.” But, MacDonald said, the ratio of corn being fed vs.
distillers grains could go from 11-to-1 today, to 3-to-1 nationally in
the next 10 years.
“So we’d better figure out how to feed distillers grains,” he said.
Relatively few distillers grains are fed in the southern Plains states
now, MacDonald said. Some beef producers are reluctant because there’s
no incentive and no ready supply.
However, with the opening of two ethanol
plants scheduled later this year in the Texas Panhandle, a steady supply
of distillers grains should be available, making the alternative
feedstock more attractive, he said.
“In the future, as long as it is priced relative to corn, I think there
will be a necessity to use this new large pool of feed,” MacDonald said.
The proportion of corn used from 2002 to 2006 hasn’t changed much in the
areas of human consumption, high fructose production or exports, he
said. The biggest change has been corn moving from the livestock-feed
sector to the fuel-ethanol sector, MacDonald said. Livestock feed has
decreased from 60 percent to 55 percent in that time period, while the
ethanol fuel sector increased from 8 percent to 14 percent.
However, National Corn Growers Association forecasts show that while the
percentage has decreased, the actual bushels of corn produced will
continue to increase due to higher yields and acres planted, he said.
The acres of corn harvest is expected to rise from the current 71
million to 80-85 million over the next five years, MacDonald said.
Yields are projected to rise to almost 180 bushels per acre in the next
10 years.
“We’re not sure how big the ethanol industry is going to get, but if
every plant being proposed as of now gets built, the Renewable Fuels
Association says we’ll be producing 12.5 billion gallons of ethanol a
year from starch,” he said.
In estimating feed availability for livestock, MacDonald assumed as much
as 15 billion gallons of ethanol being produced annually. At that rate,
35.5 percent of all corn would be needed for ethanol. This would bring
the amount of corn available for feed down from the current 60 percent
to 33.5 percent, assuming the other categories remain steady. Because
yields are expected to increase, he said the decrease of actual corn fed
will not be as dramatic, going from 6.1 billion bushels in 2006 to 5
billion bushels by 2017.
The beef and dairy industries are in the best position of any of the
livestock industry to use distillers grains, MacDonald said. Based on
the number of plants proposed in the Texas High Plains, he estimated
feed yards will need to include 15 percent to 20 percent of distillers
grains in the diet (moisture-free basis) to use all the available
supply.
The two Hereford, TX, plants, with a combined 200 million gallons of
ethanol production per year, will produce 665,000 tons of distillers
grains, he said. This quantity alone would be enough to include 6
percent to 7 percent distillers grains in the diets of the 5.75 million
head of cattle fed in the Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma region. If a
proportion higher than 20 percent were included into area feed yard and
dairy rations, distillers grains will need to be railed in from the
Midwest, he said.
Growth of the ethanol industry in the Corn Belt has created a greater
demand for corn in that area, MacDonald said. However, they now have a
large surplus of distillers grains. That could make them cheaper to rail
into Texas than whole corn.
In the tri-state area, distillers grains would be mixed with
steam-flaked corn. This is different from in the Midwest, where
dry-rolled corn is fed, he said.
Several studies are under way to see how to maximize the use of
distillers grains in the feed yard situation, MacDonald said. Those
results should be available later this summer.

—Funding for Williamson Act dollars faces veto threat.
Williamson Act payments to California counties, which offset tax
decreases on agricultural land, could disappear if Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger carries out his plan to axe the estimated $40 million in
funding during this year’s budget negotiation. His initial budget
contained no money for the program, however, after an uproar, the
California Legislature added funding for the program to its budget
package. However, the program remains in jeopardy; the governor could
still use his line-item veto power to remove the funds.
The Williamson Act is a program, similar to a conservation easement,
which allows California producers to guarantee that their land will
remain in agricultural production for a period of 10 or more years in
exchange for a tax break on property enrolled in the program.
Funding of just $40 million for the Williamson program represents a
small fraction of the state’s enormous $103.7 billion budget. For the
state’s producers however, it represents a substantial savings in terms
of property tax assessments. In all, according to the California
Department of Conservation, 16 million of the state’s 29 million acres
of agricultural land in 54 counties are enrolled in the conservation
program.
But John Gamper, director of taxation and land use at the California
Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF), said administration officials are
indicating that the governor might go ahead with the cut, even if it
means overriding the Legislature with a veto.
Proponents of the Williamson Act argue that it is important to maintain
land protected under the act for conservation and land use reasons. CFBF
said funding the program encourages more responsible planning to protect
“our members right to farm,” according to Gamper.
He said in the most recent poll of landowners who participate in the
Williamson Act program, 85 percent of participating landowners are
“satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” with the benefits brought to them
by enrolling in the Williamson Act.
It is estimated the Williamson Act can save agricultural landowners from
20 to 75 percent in property tax liability each year, or approximately
$150 million statewide, according to Gamper.
“A survey of landowners in Williamson Act contracts concluded that one
in three would not be farming or ranching without the act’s benefits,”
said Gamper.
As an example of how the cuts would impact counties, in 2005, Amador
County received roughly $110,000 in subvention funds from the Williamson
Act, according to county auditor Joe Lowe, who said the county puts the
money into the general fund to cover property tax losses created by
Williamson Act enrollments.
Currently, Amador county has 94,000 acres, a third of the total acreage
in the county, covered by the Williamson Act. The total appraised value
of that property, if assessed at the Proposition 13 value and not with
the tax break from the Williamson Act, is $133 million. This means the
county would receive $1.3 million in property tax revenue from those
areas, according to the county assessor. But, while those lands remain
under the Williamson Act, they are assessed at $42.5 million and the
county collects about $426,000 in property taxes plus the $110,000 in
reimbursement funds from the state, the assessor’s office said. —
John Robinson, WLJ Editor

—Fed market rebound and lower corn provide added boost to strong
video auction prices paid for yearlings.
Fed cattle trade this week got an early start as short-bought packers
slowed production speed and started off with bids steady with the prior
week. Feedlots, on the other hand, held firm, looking for higher prices
for available fed cattle, which are reported to be in very current
condition. It appeared last week like cattle are also being pulled
forward to fill packer demand. Nebraska live trade started Tuesday at
$142 with live trade in a range of $89-90 although volume was reportedly
light to a single regional packer. Elsewhere, bids were still being
rejected last Thursday as feedlots used their market advantage to push
for higher prices. In Kansas and Texas, packer bids were at $88-89 live,
while dressed bids in Colorado ranged from $142-143 and in Iowa from
$140-142. Analysts last week expected live prices to reach the $91 live
and $141 dressed level before any major trade would occur.
The short-bought status of packers had them slowing their production
speed slightly last week as they attempted to stay out of the market as
long as possible and add value to cutout prices. Slaughter volume
through last Thursday was estimated at 497,000 head, well above the
previous holiday shortened week tally of 378,000 head, but lower than
the same period in 2006 when the total reached 501,000 head.
The bounce in the fed cattle market over the past six weeks shows that
feedlots probably could have avoided the sharp drop to the low $80 level
had they stood firm on asking prices. Occasional early week trade for
lower money in the north didn’t help the cause of southern Plains
feedlots which tended to market cattle later in the week. The past three
weeks have seen a continuation of the trend with southern feeders
generally trading higher than their northern counterparts. With tight
supplies of fed cattle in the immediate future, the summer low is likely
in place and prices should continue higher. The upcoming cattle on feed
report is expected to show placement levels about 12 percent below June
2006. Adding to the picture are the prices being paid by feedlots for
heavy weight placements for immediate delivery. Those cattle are being
purchased to fit into the late fourth quarter marketings, which are
trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) in excess of $99. With
the recent corn market slide and the shortage of market-ready fed cattle
ahead, the market picture for cattle feeders is looking better than many
expected it to this year. However, retail demand will need to perk up if
the cash market is going to fulfill market expectations in the fourth
quarter.
HedgersEdge.com estimated last Thursday
that packer losses are at $3.80 per head, which is largely the result of
poor movement of beef at the wholesale level. Last Thursday, Choice
product was trading at $143.33, up 24 cents, while Select gained 30
cents by midday to trade at $137.25. Good fill-in trade following the
4th of July holiday two weeks ago helped move the cutout higher. Since
then however, movement has fallen off and last Thursday’s morning volume
was lackluster with only 234 loads trading hands. One bright spot
continues to be the cow markets, which are strong as a result of good
movement of trim and grind loads. Last Wednesday, 44 loads of trim and
82 loads of grind product sold.
That movement is reflective of strong
retail demand for ground beef products as consumers hunt for
value-priced protein at the supermarket. The high demand has maintained
cow beef cutouts well above year-ago levels. Last Thursday, cow cutout
values were up 66 cents to $116.82, and the 90 percent lean traded at
$144.70, while the 50 percent product moved at $55.62. The upward surge
in the Canadian dollar to near par with the U.S. dollar means that there
is less incentive for producers north of the border to ship their culls
to the south for processing. That has left a few northern packers with a
short supply and added to the willingness to pay more for cull cows.
Prices remain in the mid-$50s and could remain there well into the fall
if expected U.S. herd inventory numbers are reported near analyst’s
expectations. The inventory report, due out June 20, is expected to show
the smallest calf crop in years and perhaps a shift toward herd
building, one that has been stalled for the past year and-a-half as a
result of widespread drought last year and surging corn prices this
year. If retention numbers increase, it will lead to an even shorter
supply of available heifers this fall and reduce the number of cows
being sent to market later this year, adding further support to the cow
market.
Feeder cattle
Western Video Market Auction and Superior Livestock Auction both held
massive video auctions last week, setting the fall market in most
places. From July 9-11, Western Video Market held their auction in Reno,
NV, at the Silver Legacy Hotel and most lots in that auction sold well
considering weather conditions throughout the western U.S.
Approximately 155,000 head were offered, with
very good demand for heavy cattle over 700 lbs., most ready for
immediate or near delivery. Demand for cattle to put on feed is heaviest
in the north central states but feeders in California were ready for
cattle as well, with the futures looking good, keeping the heavier
cattle moving at good prices, mostly in the $108-$115 range.
Lighter cattle were a tough sell in the western states where drought
persists, but the lots offered for later delivery, mostly from
October-December, sold fairly well. Six weight steer and heifer calves
did better after the first day of the sale, but concerns over high feed
prices kept many buyers away from all but reputable cattle. Prices for
600-700 lb. steers stayed in the $110-$125 range, mostly $115-120.
Jerry York, WLJ fieldman, was at the auction headquarters in Reno during
the sale.
“We definitely saw the heavy cattle sell very well. The lighter cattle
for immediate delivery got pretty tough. There were a lot of no sales on
the lighter calves, just because the drought has a lot of guys worried
about where they’ll go with these cattle,” he said. “The lightweights
that did sell very well were all from good reputation outfits. It is
pretty typical to see those cattle coming out of higher performance
sires sell better, but this year, in some cases, they were the only ones
selling.”
York said that some lightweight black-hided cattle went for as high as
$138. “Again, the ones bringing top dollar and selling well were the
calves from top-reputation ranches. Value-added cattle also helped some
of the lighter cattle sell. The natural feeders were generally worth
three to five cents more. Quite a few Certified Angus Beef and a number
of age/source verified cattle were run through the auction and they all,
for the most part, sold very well.”
York also added that drought was not the only concern at this year’s
auction.
“Normally people will talk about the weather at sales and it will be the
biggest concern for ranchers, but this year I heard a lot of people talk
about high input costs and uncertainty over domestic security issues,”
he said. “ I think, overall, people were waiting to see how some of
these things panned out before they bought higher-priced cattle for
immediate delivery. It wasn’t just fears about lingering drought keeping
buyers from taking all the offerings.”
Superior Livestock held their annual “Week in the Rockies” video auction
July 9-14, and this year it was their largest auction to date with
330,000 head on offer. Prices at the Superior Auction followed those of
Western Video’s closely, although more cattle were offered from the
Plains states and eastern U.S. In the southern plains of TX, OK and NM,
prices seen during the Superior Auction were better than at local weekly
auctions, largely because of weather issues. While good moisture blesses
some areas of those states, flooding in large areas of eastern Oklahoma
and Texas has kept some muddy cattle going through the rings, and severe
drought in the Deep South has forced many cattle from the east into
auctions in the Plains. Demand at auctions for feeder cattle in all
Western and Midwestern states was good to very good, with prices being
up from previous sales in all cases.
In country auction markets, volume at most locations is seasonally low,
keeping even the lighter weight cattle going back on grass in strong
demand. Most demand is spurred by cattle feeder confidence in the corn
market staying down after the recent announcement of a larger corn
harvest estimate. Both corn and cattle futures for the remainder of 2007
are giving the feed yards some attractive margins and demand has
increased accordingly.
In Joplin, MO, last week 5,100 head of feeder cattle were sold, with
steers going for $3-6 higher at $106-122 for six to seven weights and
heifers were mostly steady to $3 higher in the same weight range at
$99-109.
Receipts in Oklahoma City were up sharply from two weeks earlier with
9,111 head sold, although down by nearly half from a year ago. Demand
was very good for all classes of cattle with a number of aggressive
out-of-state buyers attending. There are still some quality issues as in
the past few weeks at this sale, with a number of cattle coming from the
east and being quite thin, although last week the quality picked up
some. Both steers and heifers were $3-5 higher, with 600-700 lb. steers
selling at $117-$127.75, heifers about $10 lower. Heavier cattle also
sold very well, with all weights, include those over 1,000 lbs., selling
above $100.
Trade and demand were good in Abilene, TX, where 974 head sold. Prices
compared to the last sale were better on all cattle and feeders were
$2-6 higher. Feeder steers in the 600-700 lb. range sold at $105-116,
heifers roughly $10 lower. The 800-900 lb. feeder cattle were only a
couple dollars lower across the board compared to the lighter calves.
Prices were sharply higher since the last sale for all classes of cattle
in Clovis, NM, where 2,823 head were sold last week. Steers were selling
$7-11 higher and, in some cases, $13 higher. Heifers were mostly $6-8
higher and, in instances, up $10. Steers sold at $109-$113 for mostly
600 lb. calves, and the same for 700- 800 lb. cattle. Feeder heifers in
the 600-700 lb. range were $95-$98.50, with the same or slightly better
prices on 700-800 lb. cattle.
In Madras, OR, 668 head traded last week, with a number beginning to
come in because of short grass reserves. Feeder steers there sold at
$102-111 for 600-700 lb. cattle, nearly the same as 400-500 lb. calves
which were trading at $105-115.
Steers in Madera, CA, were selling for $89-99.50 for 600-700 lb. cattle,
with heifers at $82-91. Steers of 800-plus lbs. were trading at
$81-92.25.
CME feeder cattle contracts finished on July 12 with August feeder
cattle futures down 32 cents to finish at $1.14. November contracts
settled at $1.14, down 52 cents on the day. — WLJ

—Caution and vaccinations encouraged.
Two Montana counties—Wheatland and Yellowstone—are now under a 60-day
quarantine for rabies, the Montana Department of Livestock announced.
The Wheatland County quarantine began on June 20 when a rabid dog was
discovered and was renewed when a lamb was found to have rabies on June
26. The Yellowstone County quarantine began on June 27 because of a
rabid dog.
The quarantine status will remain in effect until the counties go for a
full 60-day period without another positive finding for rabies,
according to Dr. Jeanne Rankin, acting state veterinarian.
Rankin explained that under Montana administrative rules, the quarantine
status means that no unvaccinated dogs, cats or ferrets in the affected
counties can be permitted to run at large or unattended. Instead, all
unvaccinated dogs, cats and ferrets must be under the direct and
immediate control of their owners at all times, she said.
She said animals that received rabies vaccinations before the
quarantines began, and which have been officially vaccinated for 14
days, are not affected by the quarantines, but may be subject to
confinement ordinances adopted by local governments under their stray
animal control programs. When accompanied by a rabies vaccination
certificate, these animals are eligible for movement out of the
quarantined county. Animals that are vaccinated after a quarantine
period has begun are subject to only a 14-day county confinement period
under state regulations.
“This would be a very good time for people to make sure their pets have
been vaccinated,” Rankin emphasized. She noted that the Compendium of
Animal Rabies Prevention and Control “calls for any unvaccinated animal
that comes in contact with an animal that is rabid or that is bitten by
any wild animal to be euthanized immediately and its brain tested for
rabies, or to be put in strict isolation for six months to be sure no
infection has occurred. This is a very severe prospect, but it’s
entirely avoidable by keeping your pets’ rabies vaccinations current,”
she said.
She explained that people tend to not keep house pets current on
vaccinations, thinking that they will have no exposure to rabid animals.
Just the contrary is true, as these pets are in much closer proximity to
humans and are a bigger risk if a rabid bat gets into the house, which
is very common in Montana, especially west of the Rocky Mountains.
“Vaccination is cheap insurance,” she said, noting that last year over
250 dogs and cats were destroyed because of human bites or, more
commonly, exposure of unvaccinated pets to wild or rabid animals. There
were no positive cases of rabies in dogs or cats in 2006, but there was
a case in a horse, Rankin explained.
Rankin said the state has every reason to expect more positive rabies
findings in the coming days, “so we are cautioning people to be very
careful when encountering wild animals that may appear to be tame.
People shouldn’t touch or attempt to pick up any wild animals,
particularly in the counties that are quarantined,” she warned.
She emphasized that any person who suspects that he or she has been
bitten by a wild animal should please contact local health officials.
She explained that the rabies virus can be excreted in the saliva of an
infected animal, and can be transmitted not only by an animal bite but
also by exposure of the infected saliva to a scratch or open wound.
Rankin reported that horses, sheep and cattle also can be vaccinated for
rabies, and she recommended that livestock owners consult with their
veterinarians about the advisability of getting vaccinations, especially
of those livestock kept in close contact with people. — WLJ

The fever tick quarantine zone in Starr County, TX, has been expanded
temporarily due to the threat of fever ticks beyond the permanent
“quarantine zone” that runs along the Rio Grande. Effective July 3,
livestock cannot be moved from the expanded preventive quarantine area
until the animals are manually inspected for fever ticks, dipped and
permitted for movement by personnel from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Fever Tick Force or the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC).
Fever ticks are capable of carrying and transmitting a protozoa—or tiny
animal parasite—that causes the deadly livestock disease “Texas Fever.”
The temporary preventive quarantined area is bounded on the east by
Ebanos Road (Ebony Road) from its junction with U.S. Highway 83, then
north on San Julian Road to its junction with Sanchez Ranch Road (San
Julian Road). The northern boundary is comprised of Sanchez Ranch Road
(San Julian Road), south on Loma Blanca Road, then west on Hinojosa
Ranch Road (Falcon Loop) to its junction with U.S. Highway 83. The
western edge is Highway 83 south to the Ebony Road junction.
“At this time, we do not know the extent of the infestation in this
preventive fever tick quarantined area. However, tick infestation is
possible, and therefore, we must take extraordinary precautions to
prevent the spread of these very dangerous pests,” said Dr. Bob Hillman,
Texas’ state veterinarian and executive director of TAHC, the state’s
livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. He explained that the
fever tick, if not contained, could become re-established, even through
the winter, throughout much of the south, southeast and parts of
California. In addition to cattle, horses and white-tailed deer, Nilgai
and elk can act as a host of the tick, perpetuating its population.
“It took more than 50 years to eradicate fever ticks from the U.S.,” he
said. He noted that a permanent fever tick zone runs through eight South
Texas counties along the Rio Grande and is staffed by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Fever Tick Force. Livestock moved from this
permanent quarantine zone also must be inspected, dipped and permitted
prior to movement. Tick inspections also are conducted at a number of
South Texas livestock markets.
When tick-infested livestock are detected, the ranch and animals are
quarantined. Owners can choose to have their cattle inspected and dipped
every seven to 14 days for nine months, or the livestock can be dipped
repeatedly, until declared tick-free and moved to a new site, leaving
the infested pasture “vacated” for nine months, causing the ticks to
starve. Regardless of the option selected, wildlife, deer and other hoof
stock are provided treated feed to kill fever ticks on these animals.
The Fever Tick Force also maintains vigilance along the permanent
quarantine zone to apprehend, inspect and dip stray livestock from
Mexico, where the fever tick still exists. Owners may reclaim their
animals by paying a nominal feed bill. Among the stringent health
requirements for livestock shipments from Mexico are fever tick
inspection and dipping. If an animal in a shipment is found to have
fever ticks, the entire shipment is rejected until it can be re- dipped
and inspected.
“Keeping the fever tick out of the U.S. is essential,” said Dr. Hillman.
“Infected ticks can kill thousands of cattle, and our ability to move
animals without restriction could be severely limited. The
implementation of this preventive fever tick quarantine is expected to
be temporary and will be released as soon as possible.”